The present invention relates to a novel composition for the treatment of colitis ulcerosa, enteritis regionalis Crohn (Morbus Crohn), chronic nonspecific colitis and diverticulitis containing as the active ingredient salicylazobenzoic acid and/or its physiologically acceptable salts and usual carriers, vehicles or diluents therefor. The invention further relates to the use of salicylazobenzoic acid and/or its physiologically acceptable salts for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of these diseases.
Salazosulfapyridine has been previously used as the standard preparation for the treatment of these diseases. This compound is administered orally in most cases and probably cleaved by bacteria in the colon to form the two metabolites, 5-aminosalicylic acid and sulfapyridine. Seemingly the metabolite 5-aminosalicylic acid is the active component while the side effects observed in many cases are due to the sulfapyridine metabolite; see KHAN et al, Lancet 2, 892 (1977). Since 5-aminosalicylic acid is instable and substantially incapable of being transferred into the colon by the oral route, KHAN, loc.cit., considered already the possibility of synthesizing a new substance which does not exhibit these disadvantages of the known salazosulfapyridine.